Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Module 3 Lecture 6 Final
Module 3 Lecture 6 Final
3
Selection of Manufacturing
Processes
Lecture
6
Design for Powder
Metallurgy
Instructional objectives
By the end of this lecture, the student will learn the basic principles of Powder Metallurgy
processes and the critical issues to be considered during design of parts to be manufactured
using Powder Metallurgy processes/
Powder Blending
A single powder may not fulfil all the requisite properties and hence, powders of different
materials with wide range of mechanical properties are blended to form a final part. Blending
is carried out for several purposes as follows.
1. Blending imparts uniformity in the shapes of the powder particles,
2. Blending facilitates mixing of different powder particles to impart wide ranging
physical and mechanical properties,
3. Lubricants can be added during the blending process to improve the flow
characteristics of the powder particles reducing friction between particles and dies,
4. Binders can be added to the mixture of the powder particles to enhance the green
strength during the powder compaction process.
Powder Compaction
The principle goal of the compaction process is to apply pressurize and bond the particles to
form a cohesion among the powder particles. This is usually termed as the green strength.
The compaction exercise imparts the following effects.
1. Reduces voids between the power particles and enhance the density of the
consolidated powder,
2. Produces adhesion and bonding of the powder particles to improve green strength in
the consolidated powder particles,
3. Facilitates plastic deformation of the powder particles to conform to the final desired
shape of the part,
4. Enhances the contact area among the powder particles and facilitates the subsequent
sintering process.
Compaction is carried out by pouring a measured amount of metallic powder into the die
cavity and applying pressure by means of one or more plungers. To improve uniformity of
pressure and reduce porosity in the compacted part, compressive forces from both the top and
the bottom sides are necessary. The requisite compacting pressure depends on the specific
characteristics and initial shape of the particles, the method of blending and the application of
the lubricants. Extremely hard powders are slower and more difficult to press. Some organic
binder is usually required to hold the hard particles together after pressing until the sintering
process is performed. Figure 3.6.3 depicts a schematic view of the powder compaction
process to manufacture a typical bushing.
Finishing Operation
After sintering, some finishing operations such as re-pressing (to impart dimensional
accuracy) and machining are carried out to further improve the quality of the final part. Parts
made through the powder metallurgy based processes are also subjected to other finishing
operations such as heat treatment, machining and finishing depending on the requirements.
(a) (b) (c)
Initial powder particles Neck formation by diffusion Reduction in inter-
particle distance
Draft is required when no lubricant is used Draft is not required when lubricant is used
This
Not This
References
1. Rajput R. K., A textbook of manufacturing technology, Laxmi Publications (P) Ltd.,
New Delhi, 2007.
2. G Dieter, Engineering Design - a materials and processing approach, McGraw Hill,
NY, 2000.
3. http://www.globalspec.com.
4. M F Ashby, Material Selection in Mechanical Design, Butterworth-Heinemann, 1999.
5. John A Schey, Introduction to Manufacturing Processes, Mcgraw Hill, NY, 2000.